Application of User-Centered Design in the Development of a Prototype Course Management System

Abstract

Increasingly, educational institutions are turning to Course Management Systems (CMS, CMSs) to manage and deliver educational content. This research paper seeks to address the problem of low usability in current CMSs and explore alternatives in CMS design. In this design study, we catalog the development of a prototype CMS and compare the usability metrics of this prototype against that of a baseline system. By employing a software development process called User-Centered Design (UCD) we hoped to increase system usability and address problem areas associated with current systems. Results suggest that the prototype significantly outperformed the baseline CMS and offer insights into the characteristics of effective, usable CMSs. The resulting final prototype is discussed along with design suggestions based on qualitative and quantitative data collected over the course of development.